The Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb

​On the Feast of the Translation of Their Holy Relics (May 2)
On the second day of May, the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates a sacred and tender event in the life of the early Slavic Church: the Translation of the Relics of the Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, the first saints to be glorified among the lands of Rus’. Their memory is not one of conquest or triumph in the worldly sense, but of a quiet and radiant victory: the victory of Christ-like meekness over violence, of love over ambition, and of sacrificial obedience over the lust for power.

Princes of Earth, Heirs of Heaven
The holy brothers, Saint Boris and Saint Gleb, were sons of the great Prince Vladimir of Kyiv, the Baptizer of Rus’. Raised in the newly illumined Christian faith, they were formed not merely as rulers, but as servants of Christ. While they held princely authority, their hearts were rooted in the Gospel, especially in the words of our Lord:

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5)

After the repose of their father in 1015, a bitter struggle for power erupted among his sons. Their brother Sviatopolk, consumed by envy and ambition, sought to secure the throne through bloodshed. Boris and Gleb, fully aware of the threat against them, chose not to resist.

This is the heart of their sanctity.

They did not take up arms. They did not rally supporters. They did not justify violence even in self-defense. Instead, they willingly embraced suffering and death, imitating Christ, the Lamb who was led to the slaughter.

For this reason, the Church does not call them martyrs in the strict sense—since they were not killed explicitly for refusing to renounce Christ, but rather Passion-Bearers (Strastoterptsy): those who endure suffering in a Christ-like spirit, without hatred, without resistance, and without retaliation.

A Witness Greater Than Words
Saint Boris, warned of the plot against his life, spent his final night in prayer, chanting the Psalms and preparing his soul. When the assassins came, he offered no resistance. He met death as Christ did, with silence, with forgiveness, and with trust in the Father.

Saint Gleb, younger and innocent, was deceived into coming toward his brother, only to meet the same fate. In his final moments, he reportedly cried out not in anger, but in simplicity and sorrow, yet without bitterness.

Their deaths shook the conscience of the people. In a time when vengeance and blood-feud were considered normal, their refusal to repay evil with evil stood as a radical and transformative witness. Their sanctity became a seed planted in the soil of a newly Christian land.

The Translation of Their Holy Relics
Years after their martyrdom-like deaths, their holy relics were uncovered and found to be incorrupt, a sign of God’s grace resting upon them. The faithful, recognizing their holiness, began to venerate them as intercessors and heavenly protectors.

On May 2, the Church commemorates the translation (solemn transfer) of their relics to a place of honor in the city of Vyshhorod, near Kyiv. This sacred event was not merely an act of reverence, but a proclamation: the Church was formally recognizing in Boris and Gleb the image of Christ Himself.

Their relics became a source of healing, consolation, and unity for the people of Rus’. Pilgrims came seeking their prayers, and princes came seeking their example.

In the translation of their relics, we see something profound:
what the world had cast aside in violence, God raised up in glory.

The Spiritual Meaning of Their Witness
For us today, whether living in the quiet of the desert or in the noise of the world, the example of Saints Boris and Gleb cuts deeply across our natural instincts.

We are taught from youth to defend ourselves, to assert our rights, to answer insult with retaliation. Yet the Gospel reveals another way: the way of the Cross.

The Passion-Bearers show us that holiness is not found in dominance, but in self-emptying love. They remind us that to follow Christ is not merely to believe in Him, but to become like Him, even when that path leads through suffering.

Their witness is not a call to passivity or injustice, but a call to radical trust in God’s judgment rather than our own vengeance.

As the Apostle writes:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21)

A Word for Our Time
In an age marked by conflict, division, and the constant urge to defend and justify ourselves, the lives of Saints Boris and Gleb stand as a quiet rebuke, and a healing balm.

They call us to examine our hearts:

• Where do we cling to power rather than surrender to God?
• Where do we justify anger rather than cultivate forgiveness?
• Where do we resist the Cross rather than embrace it?

Their path is not easy. It is, in fact, impossible without grace. But it is the path that leads to life.

A Prayer to the Holy Passion-Bearers
O holy and righteous Passion-Bearers, Boris and Gleb,
you who did not resist evil with violence,
but overcame hatred with love and humility,
intercede for us before the throne of Christ.

Teach us the way of meekness.
Strengthen us to endure injustice without bitterness.
Grant us hearts that trust in God above all earthly power.
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That we too, bearing our crosses with patience and faith,
may be found worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven,
and glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, pray to God for us.